Eva Baldi
Shawville July 22, 2021
Last Thursday, the Wings & Things parking lot in Shawville hosted a vintage car cruise show.
The cruise show was organized by Leonard and Cathy Watson because after a year of pandemic regulations they were looking for a reason to get out of the house.
“We just have to get out of the house,” explained Leonard Watson. “We’re all friends here. [We wanted] just to get out and show off our antiques.”
This sentiment was held by many of the participants. Marg Coules, who travels to car shows with her son Glen Coules said, “I love going to the car shows and cruising, and we really miss them because [of] COVID-19 we couldn’t have anything last year.”
Car and cruise shows are very significant to those involved. According to Lucy Kingsbury, who is heavily involved in organizing the car show at the Shawville fair, most people who participate in car shows are retired.
“Maybe 70 per cent of us are retirees and we have our vehicles to keep us company,” she said.
Participants are passionate when it comes to their antique cars. This passion can be seen in their relentless hard work, and willingness to be on the road very often, travelling from show to show, and making sure that their antiques are ready to be exhibited.
When Kingsbury arrived to the show, her husband was immediately at work cleaning the windshield to remove the bugs that they hit while driving. However, this did not seem to be a nuisance to Kingsbury at all.
“There’s always a process every day to get them prepared for the next show, but when you love doing what you’re doing, it’s not a job,” said Kingsbury
Carl Demell, the owner of a bright orange 1980 Chevy Step-side said that car shows allow people of all walks of life, who share a similar passion to spend time together and learn from each.
“I like to be with the rest of the bunch, mingle with them, meet some older guys maybe learn a few things from them. Just being part of it makes me happy and it’s nice to do,” said Demell with a smile.
